Full Grown Ball Python in 20 gallon?

[vrp98]

Honestly, she had a ball python at her work and it was in a tank with only one hide and a water bowl. Concerning. She’s had some of her animals removed though because her boss concluded there was no need to have animals in there that aren’t native to our state.

[MarkL1561]

Here’s a visual example of my adult male in a 40 gal. He’s actually on the smaller end too and the 40 still seems a little small. Although he doesn’t do much during the day and I frequently take him out to explore. He seems perfectly content but anything smaller would be detrimental imo. Hope this helps! A picture can speak a thousand words


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[Sonny1318]

Here’s a visual example of my adult male in a 40 gal. He’s actually on the smaller end too and the 40 still seems a little small. Although he doesn’t do much during the day and I frequently take him out to explore. He seems perfectly content but anything smaller would be detrimental imo. Hope this helps! A picture can speak a thousand words

I’m just curious is that the same floor space as a forty breeder. I believe a 20 long and 40 breeder are the tanks I meant to reference, and I believe others were also referring to. Sorry to cause confusion. But thank you for sharing, beautiful set up.


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[Sonny1318]

I messed up the quotes on my last post sorry.

[MarkL1561]

I messed up the quotes on my last post sorry.

It’s a 40 gal exo terra, so 36”x18”x18”. I’m pretty sure it’s the same floor space as a “breeder”.


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[vrp98]

It's funny that you sent that. It's the exact same tank I had wanted before. Is it possible you could take a full picture of entire tank?

[Sunnieskys]

I definetly don't recommend getting one from the pet store. They often have stuck shed, R.I, mites, or won't eat. They aren't kept in ideal enclosures so they get stressed and go off feed and I've heard a lot of pet stores tend to just force/assist feed instead of trying to actually fix the problem. Much better to get a quality animal from a reputable breeder. Reptile expos are nice cause you can hold the snake and ask a lot of questions about the animal and how the breeder keeps their snakes. But some people rather order from morph market etc. Think you're gonna go for a morph or a normal?

We don't force/assist feed. It's against policy.

Please...if you dont work in a store keep it to yourself. My snakes eat, are healthy, and have a good enclosure because I make it proper for them.

Keep in in mind there are thousands of pet stores and thousands of breeders. There are bad eggs in both.

[Bogertophis]

We don't force/assist feed. It's against policy.

Please...if you dont work in a store keep it to yourself. My snakes eat, are healthy, and have a good enclosure because I make it proper for them.

Keep in in mind there are thousands of pet stores and thousands of breeders. There are bad eggs in both.

Agree! Don't judge all pet stores by a few...and for that matter, check out the BOI (Board of Inquiry) on Fauna for some of the breeders out there.

[Timelugia]

If you want specifically not to get a ball from a pet store, I'm pretty sure a price comparison should be able to convince your dad. I've heard of people picking up normal ball pythons for like $20. I paid twice that and I bought mine during a sale with an employee discount. (But I adore her so I don't mind)
Just saying, petstores won't always be cheaper

[55fingers]

We don't force/assist feed. It's against policy.

Please...if you dont work in a store keep it to yourself. My snakes eat, are healthy, and have a good enclosure because I make it proper for them.

Keep in in mind there are thousands of pet stores and thousands of breeders. There are bad eggs in both.

Sorry! I forgot to add that it doesn't apply to all pet stores. Some take really good care of their snakes. Just I've heard that some big box stores like Petco, Petsmart, Pet Land etc have protocols for snake care that you can't change even if you work there and see it's wrong. I've heard stories of snakes that could eat again if the husbandry was adjusted, but are assist fed because they can't break enclosure protocol. I've heard a lot of cases like this but I guess I can't confirm so I could be wrong.

Not all pet stores of course, it always depends on location. Some pet stores I've been to have great looking reptiles with nice and clean enclosures. Other pet stores, I have definetly seen some poor snakes with stuck shed, species being cohabbed that shouldn't be, dirty tanks etc. As I said it always depends on location.

Just in my experience I personally wouldn't recommend a BP from a big box pet store to a new keeper unless I knew for certain that it was eating well and had no problems. A high-quality, good eater is less likely to stress a new keeper out, and at a pet store you might not be able to find out the animal's history, genetics, and habits.


But you're right, I shouldn't make complete generalisations. Not all pet stores are bad, not all breeders are good. Just make sure wherever you get your snake from that it's healthy and eating, especially if you're a new keeper.